18 July 1643 Will of Mirabell Druse of North Bradley, Wiltshire (proved 7 January 1645)

Source: TNA, PROB 11/195

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In the name of God Amen
The Eightenth day of July Anno Dni 1643 And in the Ninetenth yeare
of the raigne of our Soveraine Lord Charles by the grace of God of England
Scotland France and Ireland King Defender of the faith ?? I Mirabell
Druse of Cutteridge in ye parrish of North bradley in the Countie of Wilts
Widdow beinge in reasonable good and good and perfect memorie thanks bee
given to Allmighty God revoakeinge and makeinge void all former Wills and
Testaments by mee heretofore made Doe make and ordaine this to bee
my last Will and Testmane in manner and forme following that is to
say first I Commend my Soule into ye hands of Allmighty God my
Creator assureinge myselfe through the faith that I have in my
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and through his death and passion to
have forgiveness of all my sinnes and everlastinge life And my body
to ye earth from whence it came and the same to bee buried in the
Churchyard of North bradley aforesaid neere unto the place where my
late husband William Druse was buried Item I give and bequeath 
unto ye parrishe Church of Northbradley the some of Twentie shillings
To bee paid unto the Churchwardens thereof wthin one yeare after my
decease Item I give and bequeath to ye poore of the parrish of Northbradly
Twenty shillings To bee paid them at ye discrecon of myne Executor wthin
one yeare after my decease Item I give and bequeath unto Katherine 
Neale Widdow my Sister a ringe wth a stone in it Alsoe I give & bequeath
unto her my booke of Comon prayer and one feather bedd and feather boulster
one paire of Clanbette and two paire sheets and a rugue togeather 
wth my second best spouse Chest my feildbedstead one brasse pott one
little brasse kettle one pewter   platter one porrige dishe one 
Sawcer one f????t dishe one paire of potthookes one pothanger one Table
Cloth halfe a dozen of Napkins of all wch my will is that shee shall have
the use and occupacon thereof onely dureing her life and after her decease
my will is that my Couzen Mary her Daughter shall have the said
beddings and household stuffe to her owne use Item I give and bequeath
unto my Couzen Baldwin wake his sonne my gould ringe wth the wakes
knott in it Item I give and bequeath unto Marie Neale Foure pounds
to bee paid her wthin one yeare next after my decease Item I give and 
bequeath unto Phillip and Frauncess two other of my Sister Neales
Daughters one shillinge apeece Item I give and  bequeath unto my said
Couzen Phillipp a Damaske drinkinge Cloth and to my said Couzen Francess
								a holland


a holland drinkinge Cloth and unto my said Couzen Marie a Callico
drinkinge Cloth Item I give and bequeath unto Katherine my Sister Neales
daughter one shillinge Item I forgive my Couzen Nicholas Neale ye Twentie
shillings he oweth mee by bill Item I give unto my said Couzen Nicholas his
daughter Twelve pence Item I give and bequeath to Elizabeth the daughter of
Mirable Neale Twentie shillings and to Samuell and Sarah Children of my
Couzen Elizabeth Neale Twelve pence apeece Item I give and bequeath to ye
Children of my Couzen Baston in London and to my Couzen Fraunces her
children in London To each of them one shillinge Item I give & bequeath to
each of my Couzen Bakers Children one silver spoone To bee delivered unto
them at their sevrall ages of Twentie and one yeares Item I give and bequeath
moreover unto Morris Backer eleaven shillings to beare his charges to go either
to his father in London or elswhere Item whereas my Sister Pikes deceased
owed mee at the time of her death by bill the some of six pounds besides the
interest thereof ever since the same was due unto mee and alse Thirty shillings
shee owed mee wthout specialtie And whereas Alexander Vizor oweth mee Five
pounds wth the interest thereof ever since the same was due unto mee My Will
is that the said sevrall somes of six pounds and the interest thereof and the said
some of Thirtie shillings and the said some of Five pounds wth the interest thereof
if the same may be received by mine Executor wthout suite in Lawe Then ye
same shalbe equally devided between my Couzen Elinor (Adminidstrator of my
said Sister Pikes and her Children Item I give and bequeath unto Sarah
Pykes and Suzanna Pykes the Tenn pounds tenn shillings wch their Father
my Couzen Nicholas Pyke owed mee at the time of his decease if the same
may bee receaved wthout suite in Lawe but if it cannott bee receaved wthout
suite my Will is myne Executor uppon request to him by them to bee made shall
make them a Letter of Attorney to sue for the same in the name of myne 
Executor at their owne Coste and charges if it please them because I would not
have my Executor to be troubled to follow any suites for the same for that it may be
??reate ??????? unto him Item I give and bequeath unto the said Sarah
Pykes and Suzanna Pykes to each of them one Flaxen Table Cloth and halfe
a dozen of Table napkins of the same sutt Item I give and bequeath unto
Marie Knight a Quilt to lay on the bed Item I give and bequeath to my cozen
Alice Jones her sonne Twelve pence and to Francis sonne of my Couzen Marie
Breame Twelve pence Item I give and bequeath to my Couzen Lawe Jane
Norris and to each of her foure Children Viz Mirable Arthur Elizabeth
Guy??? Twelve pence apeece Item I give and bequeath to my Goddaughter
Mary Carrs my bible to bee delivered unto her wthin One yeare after my
decease And if shee shall die wthin the yeare then I give and bequeath the
same unto her Sister Jane Carrs Item I give and bequeath unto John
Crabb my Godsonne and unto Alice his Sister and to Christian and
Elizabeth my Brother in lawe John Druse his Children to each of them
Twelve pence Item I give unto evry one of my Godchildren wch shalbe liveinge
at ye time of my decease Twelve pence apeece To bee paid them wthin one
yeare after my decease Item I give and bequeath unto Mr Gyles Gylston
the elder the some of Fortie shillings in token of my love to him To be paid
unto him at what time he shall delivr upp to myne Executor the greate booke
of Cronincles wch I lent him Item I give and bequeath unto Elinor Pickeringe
my old servant Tenn shillings And to Richard Rawlins mine apprntice
Tenn shillings And to evry one of my servants that shalbe in Covenant
wth mee at my decease Tenn shillings a yeere besides their wages wch shalbe then
due Item my will is farther that mine Executor before my Funerall shall 
								give


give to sevrall poore woomen of the said parrishe accordinge to his discretion 
soe many ells of holland Cloth of Two shillings ?ell as I shalbe yeares old at
the time of my decease to make them double kercheifes wch if it may bee I would
have them to weare at the time and place of my buriall Item my will is alsoe
that my Executor   wthin one yeare after my decease shall sett a faire Tombe
of stone over the bodies of mee and my said late husband in ye Churchyard
of North bradley aforesaid All the rest of my goods and Chattles moveables
and unmoveables and debts, my debts and Legacies paid Funeralls discharged
and this my Will performed, I give and bequeath to my servant Willm
Vigor whome I make and ordaine to be my whole and sole Executor of this
my last Will and Testament And for ye better enablinge of him to pay my
debts and to performe this my last Will and Testament I give & bequeath
unto my said Executor William Vigor All my Lands Tenements and
hereditaments scituate in ye Pittye wthin the Cittie of Bristoll together
wth the rents and profitts thereof wth the appurtenncs imediately from &
after my decease for by and dureinge the Terme of One hundred yeares
if hee shall soe longe fortune to live And I hereby ordeine and appointe
Anthony Grenell and Anthony Bissie to bee Overseers of this my last
Will and Testament and to each of them for their paines and assistance
by them to bee given to my Executor concerninge my said Will I give and
bequeath Twentie shilings apeece And my Will is farther that mine
Executor shall pay unto my Sister Katherine Neale out of my Rents and
profitts of my said Lands and Tenemts scituate in the Pittye wthin the said
Cittie of Bristoll the some of Five pounds To bee paid unto her duringe
her life quarterly by even porcons and if mine Executor shall happen to die
or decease before my said sister Neale then I doe give and bequeath unto
her the some of Five pounds as a rent to bee issueinge and goeinge out of
my said Lands and Tenemts in ye Pettye aforesaid Dureinge the Term of
her ???all life at fower most usuall feasts or dayes of payment in ye yeare
that is to say At the feast of St Michaell Tharchangell, the Birth 
of our Lord God, the Annunciacon of the blessed Virgin Mary and the
Nativitie of St John Baptist by even porcons the first payment thereof
to bee made at that of ye said Feastes as shall first happen after the
decease of my said Executor And if the said Rent of Five pounds
or any part thereof shalbe behinde and unpaid at any of the said Feasts
in wch the same ought to bee paid the same beinge lawfully demanded 
that then and from thenceforth and at all times after it shall and may bee
lawfull to and for my said Sister and her assignes into the said Lands Tenemts
and PREmisses wth thappurtenncs to enter and dis???? and the distressee or distressees
then and there found to take l??d?d???e and ?eave away and the same to wthold
and keep untill the said rent of Five pounds and ye accruages thereof if any bee
bee well and truely satisfied and paid And my will is further and I give
and bequeath unto my Couzen Walter Pike after ye decease of my said Executor
and my said Sister Neale all and singuler my said Lands Tenemts and
hereditamts wth thappurtenncs scituate in ye Pittie wthin the Cittie of Bristoll
To hold to him dureinge ye Terme of his nrall life and after his decease
I give and bequeath the same unto the eldest sonne of his bodie lawfully
  begotten or to be begotten and to the heires of the body of such eldest
sonne lawfully to be begotten And for default of such issue then to the
second sonne of ye said Walter Pikes lawfully begotten or to be begotten
and to the heires of his body lawfully to be begotten And for default of
such issue then to the third sonne of the body of the said Walter Pikes


lawfully begotten or to be begotten and to the heires of his bodie lawfully to bee
begotten and for default of such issue then my will is the same Lands Tenemts
and hereditamts shall remaine and come to ye right heires of mee the said
Mirable Druse for ever In witnes whereof I have hereunto sett my hand
and seale and doe publishe the same to bee my last Will and Testament 
The day and yeare first above written theis beinge Witnesses Memorand
that theis words ????ly by bill (to) her unto her whear enterlyned before
the ensealinge and delivred hereof Henry Dotive, Anthony Greenhill
Anthony Bisse, The marke of Christopher Stantiall Henry Long

Bee it knowne unto all men by theis pnts
That whereas in ye last Will and Testamt of mee Mirable Druse Widdowe
beareinge date the Eighteenth day of July Anno Dni 1643 there is a Clause
coneyned in theis words Vizt Item my will is further that mine Executor
before my Funerall shall give to severall poore women of the said parrishe 
accordinge to his discretion soe many ells of holland Cloth of two shillings the
ill as I shalbe yeares old at ye time of my decease to make them double kercheifes
wch if it may bee I would have them to weare at ye time and place of my buriall
Now for certeine causes to mee best knowne I have changed my minde touchinge
the said Legacie and doe hereby revoake the said Legacie and doe put it out of 
my said Will as if the same had never bine menconed in the same And for
and concerninge all other things in my said Will menconed I doe by this PREnte
Codicill confirme and ratifie the said my last Will And lastly my will is
this Codicill or Schedule to my said Will annexed shallbe adiudged and taken
as my last Will concerninge the said Legacie In witnes whereof I the said
Mirable Druse to this PREnte Codicill have sette my hand and seale the First
day of Aprill Anno Dni 1645 Theis whose names are subscribed beinge
witnesses hereunto signed Mirable Druse Signed sealed and delivered
in the PREnce of us Henry Dre??e Anthony Bissie

Probatum fuit Testamentum [this paragraph continues in Latin to grant probate at London 
on 7 January 1645]
Septimo die mensis January Anno Dno ... Millimo Sexctmo quadragesimo quinto
[to] Willm Vigor

Last Modified: Friday, 21-Aug-2020 19:06:05 NDT